1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to grills, barbecues and cooking instruments and specifically to a foot operated device to open and close a hinged cover (lid) safely and conveniently, while heating and cooking.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Three out of four American households own barbecues. Americans light their barbecues 2.9 billion times a year. Originally outdoor charcoal and wood barbecues came with no covers. Thereafter with covers, and then with hinged covers. Followed by gas grills with hinged covers and then covers with see through fronts. Temperature gauges and other devices were then installed on them. The advantages of leaving the cover closed while heating and cooking is enhanced by the present invention.
Keeping the cover closed during cooking will retain a remarkable amount of the heat and moisture (at least fifty to seventy five percent) along with other gases, promoting even and thorough cooking. When keeping the cover closed there is less chance of charring (blackening) the foods because the moisture is enclosed. The applicant""s present embodiments are directed toward the significant easing of the operation of the cover (closing and opening) of cooking instruments, grills and the like, in a manner that focuses on substantially improving the overall operation of the cover while cooking.
As is seen in the prior art below there are a number of designs to keep the cover partially open and that enhance the use of the cover:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,130 by Staschke, M. issued 1990, uses an attachable metal toothed device with a handle. It is manually adjusted by hand for positioning the cover height to which would be attached about the front of cooking instrument to hold the cover open.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,053 by Hsiao; Yung-Fang issued 1995 uses a relatively complex mechanical hand cranking system for positioning the cover, is probably cost effective for only commercially sized cooking instruments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,588 by Garcia V. issued 1999 uses a electromechanical device for the automatic closing and opening of the cover with electric power, this is likely useful for an xe2x80x9cassembly linexe2x80x9d of food that always has a constant size or mass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,426 by Cloutier, A. issued 1998 uses a handle operated lid positioner for different openings.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,336 by Markle, issued 2000 shows a cable operated device for lifting a toilet seat.
The present invention is directed to a device for foot operation of the cover of a cooking instrument, such as a barbecue grill, and includes a lever located so as to be operated by a foot, a lift support attached to the cover of the cooking instrument and a linkage connecting the foot operated lever and the lift support. A spring connected to the lift support assists in operating the lid with only a small amount of foot pressure. The foot operated lever can be moved so as to lock the cover in the open, partially opened, or closed positions. This enables the cover of the cooking instrument to be safely and conveniently operated in a xe2x80x9cno handsxe2x80x9d manner.
xe2x80x9cNo Handsxe2x80x9d operation makes the cooking instrument safer and more convenient to operate, as the operator does not have to put down cooking utensils or food when opening the cover. Ease of cover operation means that the grill can be operated more frequently with the cover closed, which translates to speedier and healthier cooking using less fuel. Furthermore, ease of operation will enable the handicapped or elderly to cook in a safer and more convenient manner.